Directing content to users of a computer system based on previously accesssed content

Abstract

A website is configured to store a hierarchy of information on a client computer, depending on how much of the website has been navigated by the user. Information indicating content viewed, searches performed on a database, and records viewed in response to a search, can be stored. After a user has viewed content on a first website, and data about the viewed content is stored on a client computer, recommended content related to the viewed content can be served when the user accesses another appropriately configured second website from that client computer. The recommended content can include an image from the originally viewed content, and dynamic content derived from metadata associated with the viewed content, or other content depending on the data stored on the client computer. If the user selects the recommended content, data can be accessed from the first website, such as a database query.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer system, comprising:
 a first server computer configured to provide access by client computers to a database, wherein the first server computer is configured, in response to a request from a client computer, to:
 receive a query on the database; 
 generate content responsive to the query from the database; 
 provide the content to the client computer in a webpage and additional data indicating information about the access of the database; 
   the client computer being configured to:
 receive the webpage from the first server computer; and 
 process the webpage, such that in response to processing the webpage, the additional data is stored on the client computer; 
   the client computer being further configured, in response to receiving data from a second server computer including data for accessing recommended content, to:
 process the data for accessing recommended content to request recommended content from a content server specified by the data and using the additional data from the first server computer stored on the client computer; and 
 present the recommended content received from the content server in response to the request, the recommended content including data for accessing the database through the first server computer.